Chapter 247 247

Chapter 247 247


Hours bled into the late afternoon.

Mave had eventually collapsed onto the bed beside Granny, utterly exhausted after three straight rounds of his pretend game, leaving Blair stranded in the sudden, heavy quiet of the house.

And somehow, the silence only made the empty space beside her ache even more.

She needed Lucas.

She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. He had been down in his wing for hours.

Blair let out a quiet sigh, wrapping her arms around herself as she aimlessly paced the long hallway. 

She had tried every distraction she could think of—she’d checked on Mave, made sure her mother had fresh tea, and tried reading in the sunroom. Nothing stuck.

She missed him. So much that it felt silly to keep pretending she didn’t.

Deciding to give up the act entirely, Blair headed up to her room, washing her face and changing into a soft, sheer cream dress that brushed gently against her ankles. 

She slipped down to the kitchen, carefully poured two fresh mugs of coffee, and felt a tiny, helpless smile tug at the corners of her lips.

She knew right where she was going.
Stepping down the private wing toward his study, she pushed the heavy oak door open without knocking.

Lucas was buried behind his massive mahogany desk. His suit jacket was tossed over the leather armchair, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. 

Official documents—the final, divorce filings his lawyers had just dropped off—were scattered across the blotter. After everything Olivia had pulled, he was stripping her name from his life permanently.

He was leaning back in his high-backed chair, dragging his palm over his exhausted face, when the click of the latch caught his attention.
He looked up.
And went dead still.

Blair stood in the warm light of the doorway, holding two steaming mugs, a quiet, shy smile resting on her face.

The exhaustion on Lucas’s face evaporated in a split second. His dark eyes flashed down her dress before snapping right back to her eyes, softening completely.

“Hi,” Blair murmured, stepping inside.
A slow, breathtaking smile spread across his face. “Hi, my love.”

She walked up to his desk, setting one of the mugs down right over a stack of legal papers. “I brought a peace offering.”

Lucas looked down at the coffee, then back at her, his brows rising slightly. “You walked all the way down here just to deliver coffee?”

Blair gave a tiny, innocent shrug. “Maybe.”
His eyes narrowed in playful suspicion. “Maybe?”

Her smile widened, dimpling her cheek. “Maybe I just wanted to see you.”

Lucas’s entire posture relaxed. He leaned back against his chair, his eyes shining with pure, unadulterated fondness. “You missed me?”

Blair gave a small nod. “A little bit.”
Lucas glanced at the vintage desk clock. Then he looked back at her, a wicked little smirk touching his lips. “Interesting.”

“What?”
“You’ve been away from me for exactly…” He checked the second hand again. “…three hours, twenty-one minutes, and six seconds.”

Blair’s lips parted in complete disbelief. “You were actually counting?”

Lucas pushed back from his desk and stood up, moving around the polished wood slowly until he was standing right in front of her. “Of course I was counting.”

A quiet laugh escaped her chest. “You are completely ridiculous.”

“I waited five years for you,” he rasped, stopping inches away. “I’m allowed to count the minutes.”

Blair looked up into his eyes, all the teasing fading into something infinitely softer. “I really missed you, Lucas.”

Lucas reached out, his warm hands settling around her waist and drawing her flush against him, careful of his bandaged side. “I missed you more.”

He rested his forehead against hers, his warm breath fanning across her lips. “And just so we’re clear…”

“Hmm?”
“You’re never leaving me alone for three hours and twenty-one minutes again.”

Blair giggled, the sound light and sweet. “Not even when you have actual work to do?”

“Especially not when I have work to do.”

She shook her head, her hands coming up to rest against his chest. “You’re impossible.”

Lucas leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss right between her brows. “Probably.”

His gaze flicked down to the mug on the desk, then back to the sheer fabric of her dress, his dark eyes darkening just a fraction. “You brought me coffee... looking like this?”

Blair felt a flush of heat rise up her neck, her cheeks warming under his gaze. “Maybe I just wanted my boyfriend’s undivided attention.”

Lucas smiled, his thumb tracing the gentle curve of her hip. “You have it, Blair. All of it.”

Lucas’s dark eyes darkened further, a heavy, intense heat springing into his gaze as he took in the fabric of her sheer dress and the soft flush blooming across her cheeks. 

The sudden, shift in his body was immediate—a sharp, rigid tension pulling beneath his trousers as his breath stopped right in the back of his throat.

His breath grew heavy, his grip on her waist tightening as he pulled her flush against him, leaving zero space between them.

“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” Lucas rasped, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly vibration that made her shiver.

Blair felt the hard, sudden surge of his body pressed right against her hip. A hot, deep blush spread all the way from her neck to her cheeks, but she didn't pull back. 

Instead, her lashes fluttered, her hand resting softly against his chest, right over his hammering heart.

She looked up into his dark eyes, her small nod giving him all the permission he needed.

Lucas didn't wait another second. His hands worked quickly, sliding the fabric down her shoulders, letting the dress fall to her feet in a soft pool on the floor. 

Blair stood before him entirely exposed, her heart hammering against her ribs as the cool air touched her bare skin.

Without breaking eye contact, Lucas reached down, unbuckling his belt and pushing his pants down, freeing his thick, aching hardness into the warm air.

He stepped directly into her space, his skin burning hot against hers. He wrapped one hand around the back of her waist and cupped the nape of her neck with the other, bringing his lips down against the sensitive curve where her neck met her shoulder.

He pressed a long, deep kiss into her warm skin, his chest heaving against hers as his warm breath fanned across her ear.

“I won’t hurt you,” Lucas whispered, his voice trembling with raw restraint as his thumb caressed her jawline. “I’m going to be so gentle with you, my love…”